Automatic dispensing machine for magazines,newspapers,books and the like



Aug. 26, 1969 G. GATT! 3,463,356 AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FORMAGAZINES NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed Sept.26, 1967 (gm/ g 94m INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 26, 969 G. GATT! 3,463, 6

AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THELIKE Filed Sept. 26. 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 GIMIG RLG 6A7 11' flvENToRATTORNEY Aug. 26, 1969 G. GATT] I I 3, 5

AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES,'NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THELIKE Filed Sept. 26, 1967 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 4 I I 5 I I I I I I I I I lI I I I I I 'I l I I I I I I I I I I I I I 105; I I 'E l I 5 I I 5 I I II I I I I I I 5 I I I I l I I 1 I... I I I I I I 8 4 ivy. 5

KIA-WAR 3677/" IINVENTOR ATTO EY Aug. 26, 1969 G. GATTI 3,463,356

AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES,' NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THELIKE Filed Sept. 26. 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 (,(mcMLo brfTi INVENTOR ATTOEY GATTI 3,463,356

NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 AND THE LIKE G I M? 0 6/! 7f!INVENTOR BY r ATTORNEY Aug. 26, 1969 AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FORMAGAZINES,

Filed Sept. 26, 1967 United States Patent 3,463,356 AUTOMATIC DISPENSINGMACHINE FOR MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THE LIKE Giancarlo Gatti, 1Via Vela,

2100 Varese, Italy Filed Sept. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 670,562 Claimspriority, application Italy, Sept. 30, 1966, 777,747/ 66 Int. Cl. B65h3/22; G07f 11/04 U.S. Cl. 221--213 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREThis invention relates to an automatic dispensing machine for magazines,newspapers, books and the like.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide a dispensingmachine for magazines, newspapers, books and the like which, by simpleintroduction of a coin into a coin operated mechanism forming part ofthe dispensing machine, will automatically cause only one magazine, ornewspaper, or book to exit at a time from said dispensing machine,without the magazine be ing rumpled or torn.

It is another object of this invention to provide a dispensing machineof a simple and reliable operation, and readily filled with piles ofmagazines and the like.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a dispensingmachine which is effective to dispense only one magazine or the like ata time independently of the pages of the magazine, that is, thethickness and transverse dimensions thereof, the dispensing machinebeing of the flexible type to readily accommodate to the type ofmagazines introduced thereinto.

This novel automatic dispensing machine is characterized by comprising aframework wherein the magazines are simply piled on one another, afreely vertically moving arm provided with counterweights, which arm canrest above the uppermost magazine of a pile of magazines arranged withinthe framework, driving means being provided, as carried by said movingarm, for forwardly move and withdraw a locking hook at the magazineunderlying said uppermost magazine and forwardly move and withdraw adrawing hook at said uppermost magazine.

This invention may be better understood from the following detaileddescription given by mere way of example and thus of not limitation,reference being made to the figures of the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ensemble of the dispensingmachine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-section of the machine according to lineII--II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the casing for the machine;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the machine, an upper supporting plate havingbeen removed therefrom in order to better show internal details of thedrawing device for newspapers, magazines or the like; and

Patented Aug. 26, 1969 ice FIGS. 5, 6, 6a and 7 show the respectivepositions for two drawing and locking hooks of the newspapers atdifferent operating steps.

The dispensing machine substantially consists of a rectangularframework, indicated as a whole at 1, at the front having two plates 3,between which a central opening 4 is provided. Internally of theframework there are provided two moving walls 5 symmetrically arrangedto the machine centre plane, which may be moved to or away from eachother and stopped at any position through threaded pins operable byspokes 6 projecting from plates 3. The two moving side walls 5 arelocked on plates 3 at a distance from each other which is equivalent tothe height of the magazines or newspapers 7 to be dispensed (FIG. 1).The machine provides an internal bottom plane 8 (FIG. 2) slightlyinclined to the horizontal, the length of which is preferably, eventhough not necessarily, less than the width of magazines 7 to bedispensed, such length of plane 8 being, for example, about two thirdsof said magazine width.

The dispensing machine also provides a vertical column 9 (FIG. 2)secured to the machine frame along and inside of a side panel thereof. Abushing 10 fast with a crosspiece 101 may vertically slide on column 9,said bushing 10 carrying at the ends two idle rollers 11 resting on theinternal side panel of the machine. A Wire 12 passing over two pulleys13 and bonded at the other end to a counterweight 14 (FIG. 2) is securedto bushing 10.

Through a hinge 15 said bushing 10 supports an overturnable arm 16terminating with a crosspiece 17 (for sake of simplicity not shown inFIG. 3), slightly inclined to the horizontal, so that the lowermostportion thereof is at the front side of the machine. Said crosspiece 17carries an electric motor 18 (not shown in FIG. 2 for sake of drawingevidence), on the shaft of which a worm 19 is keyed, meshing with apinion 20 keyed on a shaft carried by and passing through saidcrosspiece 17. While said pinion 20 is located above said crosspiece 17,therebelow is located a gear 21 keyed on the same shaft carrying saidpinion 20. A drive chain 22, stretched between gear 21 and a gear 23idly mounted on a shaft 102 fast with crosspiece 17, is wound on saidgear 21.

Through two opposite side panels 24, said crosspiece 17 carries twoparallel columns 25 and 26 on which two blocks 27 and 28 are freelymovably mounted; block 27 (FIG. 4) is provided with two holes, each ofwhich engages with each of said two columns 25 and 26, whereas block 28is provided with a single hole or guide and slides on guide 26.

Fast with a link thereof, said chain 22 carries a pin 30 pivoted at aconnecting rod 31, in turn pivoted to a pin 32 carried by block 27. Aspring 35 (FIG. 4) is provided between said block 28 and a side panel24. Configuration of block 27 is such as to urge during its movementalong columns 25 and 26 for some length of its stroke said block 28against said side panel 24 against a spring 35 and release it throughoutthe remainder of its stroke. Block 28 carries a laterally cantilever pin40 (FIG. 4) terminating with a roller 41 engaging within a slot 42 of astationary plate 43. A lever 44 is idly mounted on said pin 40, and atthe front terminates with a hook 45, hereinafter referred to as lockinghook, as it may be clearly seen also from the details of FIGS. 5, 6 and7, wherein a portion of the device carried by crosspiece 17 isschematically shown in a side elevational and partially sectional view.At its end 44a inside of the machine, said lever 44 has a shaped portionwhich is connected with an end of a tension spring 45' connecting saidrear portion of the lever to a fixed anchorage 46 fast with the swingingarm 16. Block 27 carries a laterally cantilever spoke 5t} engaging for alength of stroke of block 27 on columns 25 and 26 the upper section ofthe shaped portion of end 44a of lever 44 causing it to rotate againstspring 45'. At the bottom, said block 27 also carries an extension 60(particular reference being made to FIG. 2 and detail in FIG. 6a),through a resilient foil or plate 61 there being secured thereto a rigidfoil or plate 62, to which a resilient foil or plate 63 is secured whichis bent over at the bottom thereof as a hook 64, hereinafter referred toas drawing hook. On said resilient foil or plate 63 there is provided athreaded bushing 65, on which a bolt 66 (FIG 6a) is screwed down, theend of said bolt bearing on foil or plate 62, so that by rotating saidbolt 66 in either direction the thickness between said drawing hook 64and resiliently supported rigid foil or plate 62 may be adjusted.

An adjustment is also provided for said locking hook 45 (particularlysee FIG. 6), which hook is carried by lever 44 through spokes 70 slidingwithin slots on the end of said lever 44, the adjustment being carriedout by a screw 71 threading into a threaded bushing 72 fast with the endof lever 44.

Operation of the machine may be summarized as fol lows:

Charging of the machine with magazines or the like is very simplyeffected by unscrewing a knob 60, overturning arm 16 about a hinge 15causing it to take the position as shown by dashed lines in FIG. 3. Thepacket of magazines piled on one another is placed inside of the machineby orienting such magazines with the back thereof facing the rear sideof the machine. Next, arm 16 is lowered again by re-screwing said knob60' on bushing 10. .It should be noted that this charging operation isfacilitated by the front aperture in the machine casing between the twowalls 3.

By introducing a coin into a coin operated mechanism, which is of a typeper se known and indicated as a whole at 105, an electric pulse istransmitted to a relay having a self-holding contact (for sake ofclearness not shown in the drawings) and through which the electricmotor 18 is fed. At operation starting, that is at inoperative position,the drawing and locking mechanism for the magazines is at the positionshown in FIG. 4, and at operative condition chain 22 will move in acounterclockwise direction, as shown by arrow A in said FIG. 4. Fromthis position and upon operation of motor 18, chain 22 will urge throughconnecting rod 31 said block 27 to the front side of the machine, whichblock 27 causing through spoke 50 (see FIG. 6) the upward rotation ofhook 45 against spring 45, block 2'7 abutting on block 28 and forwardlyurging said block causing hook 45 to project beyond the front edges ofsaid piled magazines, the forward movement for block 28 occurringagainst spring 35; at the same time, block 27 also causes drawing hook64 to project beyond the front edges of said piled magazines. When spoke30, fast with said chain 22, has passed front dead centre, that is thepoint of minimum distance from the front wall of the machine, connectingrod 31 will start to draw block 27 in opposite direction to arrow A(FIG. 4), while also block 28 moves for a short length in the samedirection under the action of spring 35. Looking hook 45, fast withblock 28, effects therefore a movement in the same direction insertingamong the pages of the second magazine of the magazine pile as startingfrom the top. At the same time, spoke 50, fast with block 27, gets clearof the profiled portion of end 44a of lever 44, so that locking hook 45is encumbered with the full weight of arm 16 and elements fasttherewith, the weight of counterweight 14 being of course subtracted. Inthe meanwhile, drawing hook 64 (FIG. 7) enters the pages of the topmostmagazine in the magazine pile, drawing it to the rear side of themachine (FIG. so as to cause it to pass the rib of the other magazineswhich are piled and held as clamped by said hook 45. Then, the magazinewill drop by gravity on the bottom of the machine and Slide on aninclined plane 69 so as to exit on the lower front side of the machine.

The drop of each magazine from the magazine pile occurs when pin 30approaches the back dead centre of its movement, or at the point of itsmaximum distance from the front side of the machine. Pin 30, fast withchain 22, will then continue to travel from gear 23 to gear 21 in thedirection shown by arrow A (FIG. 4), until a spoke 103, also fast withchain 22, operates on a microswitch 1 04 which breaks the self-holdingcircuit of the above-cited operating relay for motor 18, which will stopat the position shown in FIG. 4. The electric circuit connecting motor18 to supply network, selfholding relay, microswitch 104 and coinoperated mechanism are not shown in detail for sake of simplicity andbecause of the simple and evident fulfillment thereof for any skilledperson in the art. By introducing a further coin into coin operatedmechanism 105, the machine will restart through a cycle identical to theabove-described cycle.

As apparent from the foregoing, the machine is of a simply and highlyreliable operation, since the drawing of magazines or newspapers takesplace by drawing time by time the first uppermost magazine in themagazine pile, that is that magazine is drawn which is subjected only toits own weight, whereas the weight of all the moving part of the machineis taken by the second magazine from the top of the magazine pile, whichcauses a reliable and effective lock of the magazines in the pile, thusfacilitating said drawing for the first magazine and preventing fromfalse distributions of two magazines at the same time, even if thelatter should for the characteristics of the cover thereof have a trendto adhere to one another.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic dispensing machine for articles such as magazines,newspapers and the like comprising a frame adapted to have said articlesarranged in superimposed relation thereon, a freely movable verticallydisposed arm having counterweights operatively connected thereto, saidarm adapted to rest on the uppermost of said articles, a locking hookpositioned below the topmost article, means carried by said arm forselectively moving forwardly and withdrawing said locking hook, adrawing hook positioned adjacent the topmost article, means carried bysaid movable arm for selectively moving forward and withdrawing thedrawing hook that is located adjacent the uppermost article, said framehaving an opening therein, and means operatively associated with thesaid arm adapted to actuate the arm and drawing hook toward the openingand thus dispenser an article through said opening.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the means carried by thearm includes a motor driven chain, and blocks and a lever operativelyassociated with said means.

3. The structure as defined in claim '1 wherein said arm includes ahinge, and locking means for said hinge.

4. The structure as defined in claim 1 and further including a columnhaving said arm slidably mounted therealong, and rollers on the side ofthe frame engaging the arm.

5. The structure as defined in claim 1 and further including means foradjusting the position of the drawing hook and locking hook inaccordance with the thickness of the articles to be dispensed from thepile of articles.

6. The structure -as defined in claim 1 wherein said articles engage abearing surface that is inclined relative to a horizontal plane, saidbearing surface having a width which is less than that of the articles.

7. The structure as defined in claim 1 and further including movablewalls which are adapted to be adjusted to correspond to the height ofthe articles being dispensed.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTSLovatt 221-213 X Laughery 221-213 Wagner 221215 Cameron 221232 X Andrist221--2 13 X Graham 221213 X Opgenroth 221-213 X Mackenzie et a1 221--213Abrams et a1. 221-213 X Williams et a1 221213 Watlington 221-213 WALTERSOBIN, Primary Examiner

